Memento
by Scarbie
Summary: Most people made snap judgments on looks but in Jyuji’s case it was all about smell. He knew something was wrong with that kid. Gungrave Overdose oneshot.


Title: Memento  
Fandom: Gungrave Overdose  
Rating: PG-13 because Jyuji has a bad attitude and foul mouth.  
Disclaimer: Gungrave was created by Yasuhiro Nightow. I don't own it or any of its characters.

* * *

Most people made snap judgments on looks but in Jyuji's case it was all about smell. When the eyes go they say the nose gets better. No one knew that as well as the swordsman. When he met the kid he knew the smell was off; offensive even and it wasn't because Spike stank like ass or anything obvious like that. This was some primal sensor in his brain that sounded an alarm like crazy. Amazing that function still worked for a discarded undead. 

Every time he was near the boy he felt a vague hatred.

"I don't know what it is about this kid but I can't stand the little twerp!"

Billy always tried to calm Jyuji's temper. "So he's a little weird. Can you say that you were the perfect child?"

Orphaned and pretty much raised on the streets by his older brother. Probably not.

"Regardless," Jyuji said gruffly, "I'm going to keep an eye out on him."

RB snorted. "Sort to speak."

"Shut up, asshole."

-----

The smell of blood was so strong. When Jyuji heard the loud footsteps approaching the truck he knew it wasn't Grave. Even when the big man had his coffin he didn't sound so much like a walking corpse. Correction: he didn't sound as dead as the creature currently spouting gibberish.

Jyuji wanted to yell, "'Gravy' ain't here!" but it was taking all his energy to remain conscious.

Even with his dual gunswords and Billy's ridiculous but powerful guitar, they weren't enough for Fangorum. Truly, only a monster could wield the Center Head and if he wasn't already dead, it would've killed Jyuji to say they weren't strong enough to take him on without help.

Jyuji noticed that he couldn't smell Spike's blood. He figured as much as the kid reeked, if he were bleeding it would only make the smell that much worse. What the hell was going on?

The strange connection that the blind man shared with the specter, RB filled him in.

Why didn't that freak attack the brat? And what the hell was Spike thinking, injecting Mika with the very substance she was trying to get off the streets?

Jyuji tried to lift one of his gunswords to pop a cap in the kid's ass but didn't have the strength.

"Little bastard. Knew you weren't right!" Before losing consciousness, Jyuji thought of grabbing Spike by those dumbass goggles he wore around his neck and punching the kid in his damn throat.

-----

The smell of blood again. This time it was Spike's and it smelled as awful as Jyuji imagined it would. At least he knew now why the kid stanked. He was the clone of a man who shouldn't reproduce in any manner. Garino.

If Mika, the woman who had the most to lose could forgive the kid, Jyuji supposed he could find enough room in his undead heart to do the same. They were supposed to be the good guys. They were going to kick Garino's ass, walk out triumphant, and work out any differences and bad blood that remained. But that wasn't going to happen.

Jyuji had seen some bad shit on the street growing up and the way Spike went out was awful. It was true that several hours earlier, he was trying to shoot the boy himself but that's when he thought Spike was a traitor and doomed Mika to the terrible fate of being transformed by SEED. And he would've just shot him once, not riddled the boy's body with bullets.

He didn't know why he thought Garino would be more compassionate toward the boy. Any one who could torture and experiment on another human being and then toss them like so much garbage didn't know the meaning of compassion. What kind of childhood did Spike have? Jyuji was sure it was one devoid of kindness and love. No baseball games or anything of that nature.

The undead swordsman didn't have any trips to the ballpark himself as a child but he knew that his bro cared; they were just broke as hell. Garino probably made Spike feel like he was a tool to be used. Now that he didn't have anymore use for him he could be thrown away and destroyed. At least, for a small amount of time, Spike understood what it meant to be 'family'.

Jyuji didn't know if he would make it out of this situation but he would make damn sure that Garino was dead. Not just for his revenge but for the dying kid that Mika cradled in her arms.

-----

The morning after defeating Garino, Jyuji and RB prepared to say their goodbyes. They never stayed in one place very long though it was tempting this time around. They met two other people that could relate to their situation. It's not everyday you meet another deadman and the four of them plan to keep it that way. And Mika wasn't so bad. Yeah, RB was getting to be a bad influence.

Jyuji and RB stood in the threshold of the room where Grave rested. He proved to be an invaluable ally. They were just getting used to the sound of the blood transfusion machine right when it was time to leave.

"We'll have to give our regards to Mika. Looks like he'll be out for a while," RB said softly.

"Yeah. Why the hell are we whispering?"

"We might wake him up."

"Hmmm," Jyuji muttered. "Let's go find Mika."

They found her in the small dining area of the fully equipped transport vehicle. She looked a lot better than she did when they buried Spike. It was heartbreaking seeing the way she shook when she placed one of Spike's lollipops on his gravestone. The young woman was more composed but there was a weight to her expression that couldn't be accounted for by lack of sleep. She was fiddling with a pair of Spike's goggles and was startled when she noticed the two men.

She gave them a shaky smile. "Could you two make a little noise you approach?"

"Maybe I could sing the lovely lady a song next time we come into a room?"

"That would definitely qualify as noise, RB," Jyuji commented. He turned toward Mika. "It's time for us to go."

Mika sighed and stood up. She had just gotten used to having these two around and now they were leaving. She was going to miss them a lot especially in combination with the loss of Spike. "I'll walk you outside." She still had the goggles in her hand.

It was a very pleasant day outside. With the sun up and puffy white clouds in the sky, it was hard to believe that one of her closest companions died the night before. It didn't seem right. It would be more appropriate if it rained; it should be raining. Mika blinked a few times and looked down at the goggles.

"When Spike first saw you two on the security monitors he thought you were amazing." She left out the boy's comment that it was like watching a monster movie. "I think he felt the same way at the end."

Jyuji and RB remained quiet sensing that she had more to say.

Mika offered the goggles to Jyuji. "I want you to have these." The blind man sensed her movement and gently took the goggles from her.

"You sure?" RB asked. He wondered if they were the only pair. Wouldn't she want to keep that memento?

Mika gave the ghost a brighter smile. "Don't worry, he had a spare pair. You keep these."

Jyuji never considered himself the sentimental type. Maybe he could place the blame on RB. That guy was always spouting some type of mushy crap. He regretted picking up that guitar at least five times a day. He figured he was dead so why not pick up a new hobby? How was he supposed to know the guitar was haunted?

He put the goggles around his neck. An old coat, guitar, and now a pair of goggles he would never need to look through. He supposed his look was complete. He touched one of the lenses. Poor kid. Jyuji could see Garino trying to figure out where he failed before and making another clone to put through hell but they put an end to that possibility.

Jyuji let Mika know that if anyone else wanted to make a move all she had to do was call and he'd be there with an annoying, overly sentimental ghost for backup.

Mika looked at the goggles around Jyuji's neck and grinned. She knew he and RB would be there if needed and that along with her and Grave, those two would keep Spike's memory alive.

THE END


End file.
